Developmental verbal dyspraxia, also known as childhood apraxia of speech and developmental apraxia of speech, is a condition in which an individual has problems saying sounds, syllables and words. This is not because of muscle weakness or paralysis.
What is Verbal Dyspraxia? Verbal dyspraxia (dis-prax-ee-a) is a speech disorder. A person with verbal dyspraxia has difficulty placing muscles in the correct position to produce speech. The muscles have not been damaged. The messages from the brain that tell the muscles what to do have been affected.
Children with developmental verbal dyspraxia have difficulty in making and co-ordinating the precise movements required for the production of clear speech, and yet there is no evidence of damage to nerves or muscles. They have difficulty in producing individual speech sounds and in sequencing sounds together in words.
The cause for developmental verbal dyspraxia alone is unknown, however some research suggests that certain genetic and environmental factors can affect motor development. Factors include, exposure to alcohol and drugs, prematurity and smoking.
Difficulty moving smoothly from one sound, syllable or word to another. Groping movements with the jaw, lips or tongue to make the correct movement for speech sounds. Vowel distortions, such as attempting to use the correct vowel, but saying it incorrectly.
Apraxia can be misdiagnosed
In some cases, kids with apraxia are misdiagnosed with ASD, as their articulatory and phonological abilities can be severe. In other cases, children with phonological difficulties are misdiagnosed with ASD when in fact, they are not on the autism spectrum.
CAS is sometimes called verbal dyspraxia or developmental apraxia. Even though the word “developmental" is used, CAS is not a problem that children outgrow. A child with CAS will not learn speech sounds in typical order and will not make progress without treatment.
Also known as Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), DVD/CAS is a rare and distinct speech sound disorder, comprising only a tiny percentage of children with speech disorders.
Verbal dyspraxia can be diagnosed by a speech and language therapist alone, although often a paediatrician and/or an occupational therapist will be involved in reaching such a diagnosis. They will look for certain features within a child's speech.
Treatment for dyspraxia
There is no cure for dyspraxia but there are therapies that can help with daily living, such as: occupational therapy – to help you find practical ways to remain independent and manage everyday tasks such as writing or preparing food.
Where Dyspraxia and Autism Overlap. Many children with autism spectrum disorders will exhibit symptoms of dyspraxia, and vice-versa. Shared symptoms may include difficulties with spoken language, sensitivity to light and noise, problems concentrating, and others.
Childhood apraxia of speech, developmental verbal dyspraxia and developmental apraxia of speech refer to the same condition. Apraxia means that you completely lose the ability to do something. Dyspraxia means that you partially lose the ability to do something with accuracy.
Dyspraxia is a developmental condition that affects motor movement and coordination. It's widely misunderstood and often misdiagnosed as ADHD. Dyspraxia can also be referred to as DCD or developmental coordination disorder. Dyspraxia often co-occurs with ADHD, but the two conditions are separate.
They often have immature speech that is both slow and difficult to understand. Even the most basic school age skills are difficult to master. Printing, playing ball, tying shoes, even assembling puzzles are all activities that seem to highlight their dyspraxia.
Developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) cannot be cured, but there are ways to help your child manage their problems. A small number of children, usually those with mild symptoms who are diagnosed early, may be able to learn how to overcome their difficulties.
Adults with dyspraxia sometimes display social and emotional difficulties, as well as problems with time management, planning and personal organisation. This may affect the person's education or employment. Dyspraxia may make learning a new skill more difficult.
As a result, dyspraxia is a protected disability under the Equality Act. This means that people with dyspraxia shouldn't face any discrimination and should be provided with 'reasonable adjustments' for their disability.
What is dyspraxia ? Children with dyspraxia have problems with smooth and coordinated movements. Dyspraxia is often present after a brain injury. Dyspraxia brought on by a brain injury can improve with time and therapy.
The Dyspraxia Foundation says there may be a range of co-occurring difficulties with dyspraxia which can include articulation and speech, perception and thought. There can also be difficulties with reading, spelling and writing.
If a child has dyspraxia, it means that he will in all possibility face difficulty with the skills that are needed for calculating and using numbers, and for using maps in everyday life. These difficulties - in relation to arithmetic, will be seen in the form of; - Memorizing, for example multiplication tables.
Dyspraxia, however, does not affect the person's intelligence, although it can cause learning problems in children. Developmental dyspraxia is an immaturity of the organization of movement. The brain does not process information in a way that allows for a full transmission of neural messages.
Dyspraxia/DCD and autism are separate conditions but do share some similar characteristics. People can have both autism and dyspraxia/DCD and it is important that both diagnoses are given where appropriate, to enable a full understanding of a person's needs.
Dyspraxia does not affect intelligence, but it does affect learning ability. This means that adults with dyspraxia may need to develop coping strategies to find ways around difficult tasks. For example: choosing a job that involves using a computer in order to avoid writing by hand.